RF pulse optimization for robust excitation in 31P magnetization transfer spectroscopy

In this work, robust excitation pulses for 31P spectroscopy at 7T are designed by optimal control. The particular challenges of inhomogeneous RF field due to use of surface RF coils and broad bandwidth requirements due to the nature of 31P were addressed thoroughly. The optimized RF pulses show superior performance compared to adiabatic RF pulses during numerical simulations and phantom experiments. Application of the optimized RF pulses to T1 prediction by dual angle method is the logical consequence.